When The Rain Falls
by Animegirl1129
Summary: Set during 'Scratch'. What could have happened if Nathan had found Jackson. Slash.


When The Rain Falls

**_Had this just sitting around for like... forever, finally got it done. Set during Scratch. Kind of an AU version, really. Characters not mine. Enjoy! Reviews are loved, flames will be used to roast marshmellows._**

* * *

"Jackson!" Nathan and Melissa both yelled simultaneously. "Jackson!"

The storm was picking up; they could feel it in the air as they traveled deeper and deeper into the jungle terrain, nearing unexplored territory.

"We should head back soon. We'll be in trouble, too, if we get stuck in that rain." Melissa shrugged, looking over her shoulder at Nathan. "What do you think?"

He nodded. "Probably a good plan."

"Alright."

They turned, heading back toward camp, without Jackson.

* * *

"Damn…" the black hooded figure cursed, tripping over an exposed tree root, falling flat on his face.

He shook his head, rather irritated with himself, and pushed himself to his knees, but, when he tried to stand, his ankle gave out under him, sending him right back to the ground. "Okay… That's definitely not a good sign."

Deciding he was better off staying put then getting himself hopelessly lost, he backed himself up under a tree, leaning against the trunk.

* * *

"We couldn't find him…" Melissa announced, spotting the others huddled together in the tent.

"Great, he'll be out there in this storm." Daley cast a glance toward the ever-darkening sky.

Nathan shook his head, turning back to the trees. "I'm gonna go find him. You all stay here. No sense in all of us getting lost."

Melissa tried to grab his arm but he was already jogging back into the brush. "Nathan, don't!" she called after him, along with several protests from the others.

"We have to go after him." Lex stated, trying to escape the safety of the tent, but his sister pulled him back.

"No, we don't. Let him do this." Daley replied, holding onto the collar of the boy's shirt.

* * *

"Jackson! Jackson, where are you?" Nathan yelled, he had no clue where he was going anymore, his orange raincoat wrapped around him, though it was doing absolutely nothing to keep him dry.

He thought he heard something a few feet away and he moved closer, falling on top of something warm, and wet, and dressed like Jackson. "I found you." he sighed, relaxed, before moving to sit beside the other.

"Such a shame I didn't want to be found, though." Jackson replied.

"What Eric did was wrong. He shouldn't have given up your secret."

Ignoring the other boy, he forced himself to stand, making it a few feet before falling again, his ankle swelling.

"Are you hurt?" Nathan questioned, helping Jackson to his feet again.

Jackson pulled away. "No."

"The limping would seem to kill that argument."

"I'm fine." He snapped, trying to walk away again.

Nathan pulled him back to the ground, forcing him to sit as the rain picked up. "Are you insane?"

He pushed the younger boy to one side, struggling a few feet away before the pain completely overwhelmed him. He hit the ground again, not protesting this time when Nathan moved to sit beside him.

"We're not safe out here under all the trees. We need to get back to camp."

Jackson shook his head. "I'm not going back there! Don't you get that?"

Nathan didn't seem fazed by the yelling. He pulled Jackson up, allowing the other boy to lean against him. "Don't -you- get that we're as good as fried standing out here. I don't care where we go, but we need to move." Seeming to accentuate that train of thought, a bolt of lighting hit the tree Jackson had previously been leaning against, sending a branch crashing to the ground a few feet away from them.

"Yeah. Okay… Point very well taken." Jackson nodded, hopping in the opposite direction of camp. "Over here, there's a small cavern."

Nathan sighed, following his injured friend.

Upon entering the small rock lean-to, they discovered it was much smaller than originally thought, but who were they to complain if it got them out of the rain? The two boys huddled together, soaked clothes sticking to their skin.

"I thought you guys had already given up and headed back to camp." Jackson glared, tugging off his boot.

Nathan watched him cringe in pain before taking over. "Let me." He shrugged, grateful when the other boy easily agreed, turning slightly so that he could reach the injured extremity. He carefully removed the sock, checking the swelling for signs of a broken bone. "It looks like a bad sprain, I can't be sure though… Try not to move it, alright?"

"No argument here, Boy Scout." He replied.

"I should have grabbed the first aid kit…" The younger boy scolded himself. "We'll be stuck here until the storm stops."

Jackson shifted away from the other. "Well, you wouldn't be stuck out here if you hadn't come after me, would you?"

"The only way were going to survive on this island is to stick together. Everyone running in opposite directions will only make it harder on all of us." Nathan reminded him, though it fell on deaf ears. "I know you may not care what the rest of the group thinks, but if you want to get out of here alive, I suggest you start."

"Will you be quiet if I agree to go back to camp?"

"Possibly."

"Fine. Whatever." The injured boy huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Nathan nodded, satisfied, watching as the storm roared on in front of them. "We're going to turn hypothermic." He commented. Cold, soaked clothes were not good conditions.

Another flash of lightening hit not far from their shelter, causing the two boys to shuffle further back, until the rock wall was to their backs. "Why did you come after me?"

"We have to stick together." He repeated, he had feeling Jackson knew he was lying through his teeth, though.

"Really, then. If that's true then why did everyone else give up before you did?" Jackson huffed, arms wrapped around his knees. "Are you just -that- persistent or is there another reason you seem to care about me so much?"

Nathan didn't answer, just sat I silence beside the other boy.

"Nathan…"

"What!?" He snapped, turning his head to glare at Jackson, because he'd hit the nail on the head with his question. "What? You want me to say that the reason I didn't want you out in this storm is because I like you and I don't want to see you get hurt?"

Jackson stared back, startled by the reaction. "Wait… -like- me?" He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you -liked- Daley."

"Not… I don't know… not really." He admitted, playing with the dirt by his feet. "I… I like boys more than girls."

"Why me?" The older boy asked, shifting to see Nathan better.

"Not sure." A smile appeared, then. "I'm just, like, drawn to you or something."

Jackson offered a smile in reply, unexpectedly leaning forward to press his lips to the other boys. Nathan scrambled backwards, surprised, but melted into the kiss the second he realized that he couldn't exactly go anywhere.

"Wow." Nathan mumbled a moment later, when they separated for air. "Ugh… wow."

"Some vocabulary you've got there." Jackson teased, then grew serious again. "I've never told anyone."

"Neither have I." He shifted closer. "There's no way we can do anything while we're stuck on this island, but, maybe… when we get back…" Jackson pulled him close again, an arm curled around Nathan's frame, both staring out into the storm.

"Yeah. I'd like that." 


End file.
